


Echo|| Avenger's ✓

by Angelic_Trickster_Nerd



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-09 06:30:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13475691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelic_Trickster_Nerd/pseuds/Angelic_Trickster_Nerd
Summary: Valantina Alania Mikhailov.She was a ghost, her story was untold, no data was found on any files. Whenever it was tried, the information would disappear without a trace. Her name was The Echo, because all anyone heard was the echos of information and the echos of screams.She was an assassin, an assassin of assassin's and killers a like. She was the best of the best, and she had a heavy price for her services. However, once her skills are enlisted, her buyer will never be disappointed.She was ruthless, cunning, smart, and sly. While she took extreme measures to keep herself hidden, there was only one way to contact her. Having not been enlisted for a job in a long time, Valantina began to settle down, and have a life of her own as just Valarie Hale, not as The Echo.However, her life changes once more when she gets an offer to take out another master killer, one who had powerful friends. Initially, Valantina was going to refuse, but her buyer threatened the only thing the cold hearted woman loved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello!! 
> 
> I bring this story from my Wattpad account. If you guys are interested, then you can check me out over there. I've got a lot more stories there. I've got the same account name as I do here, so go check me out!!

Grunting, Valantina Mikhailov skidded across the floor, but remained on her feet. She glared at her smug attacker, but she stood up straight, getting ready for another fight. Now frowning, the man attacked again, this time not holding back as much. Valantina easily deflected his attacks and as he went to swipe under her feet, Valantina leaped up and kicked him in the face. Stumbling, the man backed up, and Valantina took full advantage.

With a running start, Valantina wrapped her body around the man, using her legs to squeeze his neck before she twisted to bring him to the floor. He struggled the breath and get out of her hold, but Valantina was just strong enough to keep him in place. She leaned down to speak to him, even as he struggled to get her face.

"I was sent by Iliano Serkova, and he has a message." silently, Valantina pulled out a knife. "Never double cross the king." she hissed before she relaxed her legs, and quick as lightning, slit the assassin's throat. With a sigh, Valantina got up, placing her knife back in it's place. Silently, she left the building and back to her motorbike. 

Placing the helmet on her head, she flicked the blacked-out viser over her face, and revved up the engine. The bike purred to life, and as soon as her leg was off the ground, Valantina sped off. She tapped the right side of her helmet and a screen glowed in front of her eyes. "KIT, send a message to Serkova, tell him that the target has been handled."

"Yes, Ms. Mikhailov." the Artificial Intelligence, known as KIT replied. Valantina sped through the streets of nighttime Italy, and quickly made her way towards the boarder to head into France. Usually whenever Valantina took a job, she would remain in the city, but this time she felt the need to head home.

Call it intuition, but she just knew something was waiting for her. Once she got to France, Valantina shut off her bike and ran towards the building she called home. It was a decent sized building, and it had plenty of room for Valantina to have her private section, which she had built underground.

She got to the front door, and she felt her breath catch at the sight of the door open and a note on it. She grabbed it, reading it over and tossing it away with a growl. She stalked into the house and scanned everywhere, but couldn't find what she was looking for. "Kroshka! Its me, Kroshka! Where are you?" The now desperate assassin called out.

"Mamulya!" A frightened voice called. Valntina's head snapped in its direction, and she ran to where the kitchen was. Crawling out from under the kitchen table, was a little girl. She looked barely over 11 years old, she had shoulder length blonde hair and innocent hazel eyes. Her frame was small, and she wore a red shirt, blue jeans, and white shoes.

She looked panicked, but relieved to see Valantina there. "Come here, kroshka." With a sigh, the girl went into Valantina's waiting arms, and the once col hearted assassin was replaced with a loving and protective mother. Valantina had saved and adopted Katalina Rashkova when the girl was only five years old. Valantina had taken a job in Russia, and after taking down her target, she saw that the scum had been trying to traffic young girls. Katalina was the only girl left, and so Valantina took her in. 

While Valantina was a ruthless woman when she was her assassin persona, the Echo. However, whenever she was home with her adopted daughter, she was just Valarie Hale. The only person to really know how sweet and nice Valantina could be was Katalina. The girl knew that her adoptive mother did bad things, but she also understood that she was a greater bad, that ultimately was just trying to do good. 

"Are you okay?" Valantina asked, pulling away from her daughter to examine her face. Other than the few tears streaks on her face, the girl was unharmed. 

"I'm okay." Katalina nodded. "Bad men broke into the house, so I hid under the table." with another relieved sigh leaving her lips, Valantina's shoulders slumped. She didn't want to even try to think about what might have happened, had she not listened to her intuition. Although, Valantina was just glad that her latest job was in Italy, a place where she could easily access her home.

While she was relieved that Katalina was alright, the note that she found on the door made her worried. However, she didn't think too much on it and it's warning. She just wanted to keep Katalina safe as long as possible, and as much as she hated to admit it to her mother like self, but the Echo was one of the factors that was able to do that.

~

Valantina had to have a normal job, as she couldn't always pay everything with dirty money. So, she got a job as a cafe waitress in the popular section of Paris, France. While Katalina was off at school, that was when Valantina worked her job. While the assassin was tired almost all the time, she would rather have her life be like this.

Although, one thing that still puzzled her, was how people were able to find her home. She took extra measures to ensure that she was virtually impossible to find. After her shift was over, Valantina went home, and instead of taking a nap on the sofa like she had planned, she went over to the master bedroom.

There, she walked to a section of the wall and pressed her hand next to the windowsill. A small, almost unnoticeable beam of green light scanned her hand, and with a small beep, a secret panel opened. Lazily typing in the pass codes, and providing an eye scan, the rest of the wall opened to reveal a long spiral staircase. 

Walking down each step with grace, the assassin walked over to where a large computer sat with an array of different keyboards. "KIT." Valantina said in a form of getting.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Mikhailov." the AI replied. "I assume you are here for a data run? Or shall it be yet another deprogramming day?" the tone of which the AI was using caused the assassin to glare at the machine. "Just a few simple questions, Ms. but if you would prefer, I shall remain silent unless it is required for me to speak."

"Cut the shit, KIT." Valantina hissed, but her words had no conviction, letting the AI know she wasn't truly mad at it. "I need you to do an analysis on this sheet of paper, it has handwriting on it, and I need you to figure out who it belongs too." 

"Very well, Ms." the AI replied. "Please insert the item in the slot to your left." a small panel opened, and Valantina placed the note inside, within moments the AI showed Valantina what it was coming up with. "It would seem that this was the writing of some low life criminal by the name of Anton Kergov, he is known for petty crime in Germany, a few bank robberies in Russia, and for his ties with more interesting characters."

"And who would these interesting characters be?" Valantina questioned, taking a seat in the office chair in front of the large computer.

"I was getting to that, you impatient woman." the AI said, taking a not-so-subtle jab at his mistress. Valantina merely gave KIT a blank stare, to which the AI ignored. "Anyway, he seems to have ties with Iliano Serkova, and to a large group called HYDRA." At this Valantina raised an eyebrow.

"HYDRA?" she questioned.

"That is correct," KIT replied. 

"Can you get a location on him?" Valantina asked.

"Of course." the AI replied, almost sounding slightly offended that she even asked. "I began running for a location the minute I had Mr. Kergov verified as the writer." KIT nearly scoffed.

"Just a question." Valantina defended herself. "Damn, disassemble an AI a few times because it got screwy with information, and it gains an attitude." she muttered.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one to create me, therefore I reflect the attitude of which you so desperately try to hide." KIT quipped.

"Watch it, KIT, I'll disassemble you again." Valantina threatened.

"And I'll be forced to delete the information I was just about to give you." KIT said, his voice sounding almost as if he would be grinning.

"Why you-"

"My analysis says that he lives in Italy, quite convenient." KIT interrupted. 

"Then how is it that he was here?" Valantina questioned. "Actually, scratch that, how is it that he even got into the house?" KIT was not only an AI, but he was also the security system that guarded the home, and was to protect Katalina when Valantina wasn't there. 

"My apologies, Ms. But I was overridden and was unable to stop them from coming in." the AI replied, sounding quite bitter about that. "Anyway, I am unsure as to who sent him at the present time, however, I can get you an exact location on the man, if you so wish to gain that information yourself."

The sound of KIT's voice proved that he knew that, that was exactly what Valantina planned on doing. "Sometimes I wonder what you would be like as a human, KIT." Valantina grinned.

"Madam, I would be the most perfect human, but I must say I owe this life to you considering you made me."

"Flattery will not get you out of the hole you dug yourself, KIT." Valantina said.

"Damn," KIT said. "Thought I'd get away with it this time." KIT sounded almost as if he could be laughing, and that brought a genuine smile to Valantina's face. When she made KIT, he had been very monotone, and while he still had the same voice, it was a definite improvement. He almost had life, and definitely had personality, and, much to Valantina's dismay, never failed to use his advanced knowledge of language against her.

The AI loved nothing more than taking jabs at his mistress, always seeming to like riling her up. When questioned by her as to why he does it, he replied that he must get fun somehow. And that it was his way of acting out whenever she disassembled him. Which, Valantina ended up doing whenever the AI pissed her off to much. However, Valantina owed KIT a lot, considering he helped her so much, and that he kept her daughter safe whenever she left to go on a job.

"Thank you KIT." Valantina said. 

"Only doing what you programmed me to do, Madam." KIT replied. With a smile and shake of her head, Valantina went to a different part of her secret room and went to a control panel. There, she pressed a series of buttons, to which opened up a hidden floor panel to reveal her Echo uniform.

It was a figure hugging black leather catsuit. It was corset light at the top, and had several holsters for her array of knives, which she kept on her chest and two curved blades on her back. On her lower back hung two SIG-Sauer P-220 Sport hand guns. They were kept tightly in place, but were easy to pull free for Valantina's usage.

Over her long and armored catsuit, was a pair of long black leather boots. Inside were two hidden knives, and a pair of Colt Vest Pocket hand guns. She had yet to use them, but Valantina would rather have them then not. Slipping on her suit and boots, Valantina walked over to where a small grey bag sat on her work table.

Grabbing it, the assassin placed a few items of clothing that she figured she would need. While she did not plan on going to Italy for long, she just wanted to make sure she had a few things with her. Once she was finished packing, she placed two different phones in her bag as well. One was the phone she used as her alias Valarie Hale, the other was the phone that her buyers would contact her through.

In case something were to happen, Katalina could contact her mother through her alias phone, and of course Valantina would get to her as quick as she could. Luckily, that hasn't happened yet, but with these new threats, of course she was going to be extra careful. She walked over to her motor bike, knowing that it was fast enough for what she needed, and secured her bag onto it.

She then turned to the large computer which remained on. Valantina opened her mouth to have KIT send the location of Anton to her helmet, but the AI beat her to it. "I've already taken the liberty to send you the location, and do not worry for Ms. Katalina, I will ensure that she is safe here."

Valantina smiled and nodded to the computer. "Thank you, KIT." placing her helmet on her head, Valantina revved up the engine and sped off down the runway and out of her underground hideout. The tunnel lead to an abandoned road, which was perfect for Valantina's needs and proceeded to the Italian boarder.

Once she crossed, she knew what she had to do. It was time to pay Anton Kergov a visit. And only one person will enjoy this visit, and it will not be the host. Placing the mother side of herself away, Valantina let her assassin side take over. Her arms relaxed and so did her once worried mind. Everything was clear and she was ready to fight. The Echo sped down the pathways, following the map that was inside her helmet, getting ready for a fun and brutal interrogation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a brutal chapter. Just another warning, there is more gore and blood in this than is part of cannon movie stuff. Considering Valantina is an assassin, she has to be brutal. So, just giving you guys a warning for her interrogation tactics XD

It didn't take Valantina long to find Anton, in fact it was almost too easy. She parked her bike a block away, and then scaled a building's fire escape to hop onto the roofs. She was lucky, in that Anton lived in an apartment complex, and therefore she was able to get into the building easily. Silently, she picked the lock to the door, and was able to get inside. She crept down the stairs, her footsteps light as air, barely making a sound.

She made sure that it was clear, listening to KIT speaking in her ear. Valantina always had KIT with her on missions, because she never left without an almost invisible in-ear that allowed her to communicate with the AI. Currently, KIT was monitoring the floor plan, seeing if whatever way Valantina decided to take was a safe route.

While the AI was not a human, he still did like his creator enough to want to keep her alive. So, of course he did his job and ensured that the woman always had an escape route. "Just ahead you shall find Mr. Kergov's door." KIT said.

"Right," Valantina nodded, bracing herself for what she was to do. "And you are sure that he is in there?" she questioned quietly as she walked down the hall.

"Of course." KIT replied. "He is in there, and he seems to be moving about, I do not think he knows you are there."

"Good." with that, Valantina silently picked the lock, and was able to gain access to the man's apartment. Upon entering, Valantina resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose at the smell. The place was a mess, and it smelled horrific, causing her to almost gag. However, she quickly hid behind a wall when she heard footsteps. She took out one of her many knives and slowly peeked out to see Anton with his back towards her.

With a grin, the woman silently and swiftly walked behind him and placed the tip of the cold blade to the man's throat. "What the-"

"Say another word and I'll cut your throat." Valantina hissed. She felt the man gulp, but he did as she said and remained silent. Valantina led the pair to a couch and she roughly shoved him down. "You think it's funny to play games with me, Mr. Kergov?" she asked lowly.

Valantina was hidden in the shadows, but she was sure the man knew who she was. "Look, I was just paid to do it... I don't have a problem with you." Anton defended.

"Who paid you?" Valantina asked. When he didn't answer, she became more cold. "Who. Paid. You?" she asked, this time her voice laced with ice. Her eyes narrowed and, before he could react, she had his hand and held her knife to his thumb. "Every time you don't respond, I cut something off." she threatened.

"The Echo don't play that way." Anton gulped. "Echo never leaves a trace."

"Ah," Valantina hummed. "But do you know why I'm called the Echo?" she asked, getting near his face. He didn't respond, but she could see the fear in his eyes. "Because all I leave are the echos of my victim's screams." she snarled before she cut off his thumb with ease. When one is interrogating someone, it is always good to make sure that one's weapons are sharp. 

In fact, if one is an assassin, then always keep a weapon in prime condition. Anton howled in pain as his wound began to spray blood. Valantina took this time to grab his index finger on his right hand. "I-I'll talk!" he shouted. "Just don't do anymore." he pleaded.

"Who paid you?" Valantina asked again.

"Serkova, he said that if I do this, he won't put a hit on me." 

"What was the purpose of you entering my home?"

"He didn't say, he just said to get in and look around." Valantina dug the knife into his skin, enough for a small bead of blood to form.

"Don't lie to me." she hissed. "Why were you in my house?" Anton didn't answer, and for that he paid the price. Another howl pierced the night from his apartment, and Valantina moved on to another finger. 

"To find a girl." Anton whimpered. "He said to find a girl in your house and take her."

"Why? Why does Iliano Serkova want her?"

"He didn't say," at Valantina's challenging look, his quickly said more. "That's the truth, honest, he just said get the girl and bring her to him. I asked why, believe me, I'm not a hired napper, but he didn't tell me."

With a growl, Valantina let go of his hand. The man drew it into himself, cradling it to his chest as he tried to breath evenly. "You are of no use to me then." she sighed. She placed her knife away and was about to draw out a gun, when Anton quickly said more to save his life.

"Wait!" he shouted. "He said that by taking the girl, it would ensure that you belonged to him. That, if he had her, you would be like, some sort of pocket killer."

"So you lied to me." Valantina stated, while her voice and face remained calm, cold, and collected. On the inside, Valantina was scared and worried. Iliano Serkova was not a man to take lightly. If he had it out for her, she had to take extra care to keep Katalina safe, especially if he was after her daughter. 

"I..." Anton looked terrified. 

"I have a message for Iliano Serkova." she stated, walking over to him. "Prepare yourself, the Echo is coming." With a terrified cry, Anton Kergov was dead. Using his blood and a tissue, Valantina wrote on one of the walls. If Iliano came looking for Anton, then he'll need to know what happened to him.

No body messes with the Echo and lives. No one.

~

Once she got home, Valantina was relieved to see her daughter safely tucked in bed, sleeping peacefully. "Do not worry, Madam," KIT's voice said softly. "I will never let any harm come to Ms. Katalina."

"Thank you KIT." Valantina said quietly as she leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead. "I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to her." Unable to quite settle her nerves, Valantina went to her room and into her hideaway. She changed out of her catsuit and back into her normal clothes before going back up to Katalina's room. 

She needed to be sure she was safe, so the mother kept a gun and a knife near her, and settled herself in a chair in her daughter's room. She closed her eyes and began to drift, but now far enough in case anything were to happen. She had to be ready, no matter what, because this time, it wasn't just her life on the line.

~

After upgrading KIT's security system, Valantina called her daughter in from school. She was too paranoid to want to leave the home herself, but the rational part of her knew that she had to keep a level head. So, despite the nagging in her stomach, Valantina went to work in the cafe. However, she had both of her phones with her, and made sure that it was clear to Katalina that she was to call her if anything was going to go wrong.

She also had a tracker placed in Katalina's emergency phone, in case something did happen, and she was taken. While Valantina was doing her job, her mind was still on her daughter. While she couldn't have KIT's reassuring voice in her ear, she let her heart settle on the fact that, while he was an AI, KIT would never let anything happen to her daughter.

The day went on without a hitch, that was, until one of her coworkers came over with a long manila envelope. Taking it and requesting a break, Valantina went over to a table to open it. Inside was a mini pad, and once her finger touched it, the screen came to life with a mission for the Echo. Her façade of Valerie Mikhail was replaced with her assassin persona. She sat up straighter and her eyes hardened as she read over her mission.

She didn't see anything about pay, but as she continued to see who it was she was going after, she realized that the man had sounded familiar. However, she brushed it away, as it may just be that he was just another one of the survivors of the KiT program. The KiT program was similar to that of the somewhat known Red Room.

However, the KiT Program was a lot more difficult and evil. In that, not only did it train young girls, but boys as well. With that, it was a constant fight to the death whenever their skills needed to be assessed. It was a miracle that Valantina survived, but she wasn't a master assassin of assassins for nothing. She was the only one from her age group to survive the training and make it to graduation.

However, graduation was even harder, as not only did the children have to defeat their trainers, but they had to beat the Head Mistress, Carova. Those that died during graduation were brushed away, those who survived passed on to be labeled as the Children of Death. Once one is a Child of Death, they move on to be KiT's. KiT stood for Killer in Training, and that was what they were.

That was what Valantina was. What she is, a killer. Placing the manila folder to the side, and gently putting the tablet on top of it, Valantina took out her own tablet and began to run research on her newest target. However, the more she dug, the more familiar the person got. When she read more of his back story, it was then that she realized that she knew this man.

Usually, whenever she came across someone familiar, it was because she wanted them dead as her own personal vendetta. This man was different, though. Valantina held this man no ill will, and even considered him a somewhat friend. With that, she knew that she could not take this mission. She went to a different tab and tapped it. It was her link to KIT, and while usually he would say some snarky comment when she requested his help, nothing came through.

With a frown, she spoke in a hushed voice. "KIT, I need your help." still no reply. "KIT." she said, her assassin persona leaving her and her worried mother side returning. She then looked and saw that the tablet that had been in the folder had buzzed. Looking at it, her face drained of color.

'I had a feeling you may be apprehensive of this mission. So, I have taken the liberty of taking something from you. If you do not believe me, then check the folder again and see for yourself.' pausing from reading what the message had said, Valantina looked inside the folder and pulled out a few pictures.

Each one was of her and Katalina, and then there were two of Katalina sleeping in what looked to be a van, and then being carried somewhere. "No." Valantina choked. She grabbed the tablet again and continued reading it.

'Now that I have your attention, here is my offer. You take out your target, and then report back to me, you will see your daughter. Fail the mission, and the girl dies. This is no job full of money, but one for assurance that you are on our side.' There was nothing left after that and Valantina stood up.

She wiped away her forming tears of anger and collected everything together calmly. She walked over to her supervisor and requested time off for personal reasons. She was granted it, and as soon as she was away from the cafe, she bolted towards her home. Just like the few days before, the door was open when she got there.

Valantina, as hard as it was to do, placed the mother side of her away. She let the cold assassin keep her mother side safe, and she calmly assessed the situation. She went through the house, seeing that her daughter must have put up quite the struggle. She went to the master bedroom and used her codes to get to her hideaway.

She went down the stairs quickly and went to the large computer. Usually, the screen came to life when she entered, but this time it was blank. She went to the multiple keyboards and began coding and reassembling her AI. Not long after she began to work, the computer came to life. "Forgive me, Madam." was the first thing KIT said. "I tried to keep them at bay, and I almost succeeded in getting Ms. Katalina down here when everything went blank."

"It's alright KIT." Valantina stated. "I need you to run an analysis on the infamous Hawkeye." 

"Yes, Madam." KIT began to search for the man while Valantina began to look through his history to learn about what he was capable of. Valantina hadn't seen him in years, he had only been a young man when she helped him escape from a dangerous traveling carnival. She was one of the few people to stay with him for a while before she left him to pursue her life as an assassin of assassins. "Madam, I found that he has been living in America, and working with the Avengers."

"Well, that certainly complicates things." Valantina mumbled. "Whereabouts?" 

"I have just hacked into a security system and found that he and some of the team are heading to Amsterdam for some mission." KIT replied. Walking away from the computer, Valantina suited up. "I will send the location to you in a moment, I am just verifying his exact location." It took almost no time at all, as by the time Valantina was all set, KIT had everything she would need ready.

"Monitor the house, and make sure it doesn't explode." Valantina muttered. Even though she knew if would be faster to take the motor bike, she took a sleek, black Cadillac. She threw in a few bags filled with weapons, clothes, and money that she might need. She also had a few tech oriented things in case she needed to do extensive research.

"Will do, Madam." KIT replied. Just as she was about to get into the car, KIT spoke again. "Valantina." the cold assassin paused, as the AI had never called her by her first name before. "Do be careful, while I may be an AI, that doesn't mean that I do not care for you. I would hate to find out that you were hurt or anything. So please... be careful."

The AI's concern melted Valantina's heart for a moment, as it touched her that he cared about her. "I will, KIT." Valantina promised.

"And make sure that the bastards pay for taking Ms. Katalina." KIT said, his once soft voice switching to slight anger. "If I were human, I would be right at your side."

"Don't worry KIT." Valantina laughed when she heard this. "You will be at my side, just on a screen." Getting into the car, Valantina started the engine. Inside, the screen turned on and Valantina knew that KIT was right there with her. This was a mission that Valantina was going to finish, and when she took care of Clint Barton, she was going after her blackmailer. No one gets away with threatening her daughter.

She usually was one of the most dangerous women in the word, but now she truly was the most dangerous woman in the world. Everyone knows you do not mess with a mother when she was protecting her young. And right now, her daughter was in danger, and Valantina planned on getting her out. At whatever cost.

~

While driving to Amsterdam, Valantina had time to think. She knew that it would be a constant war between her mother side and assassin side. However, the logical part of her reasoned that as soon as the mission is complete, then Katalina would be safe. Honestly, the moment she finds out who her blackmailer is, she was going to kill them. She didn't care who it was, she was just going to kill them.

What kind of person takes an 11 year old girl? What kind of person do you have to be to take an 11 year old girl from a highly trained master assassin? Not only that, but Valantina was the assassin of assassins. She hunted killers and other hired guns, and she was good at it, the best. She had no equal at what she did, and to be used in such a way was almost demeaning.

Not only that, but there was an innocent life in danger. Katalina never asked for this, and for it to happen anyway scared Valantina. She had taken such careful measures to ensure that the girl was safe, and yet all her hard work was wasted. It had been for nothing, as Katalina was taken anyway. With her hands gripping the wheel tightly, Valantina tried to calm down.

It would do her no good to dwell on what should have been, and what shouldn't have been. Right now, she needed to focus on what she was doing and her objective. Valantina needed to let her mother side take a back seat, and let the Echo handle things. Out of the two, the Echo has always been the more rational and stronger one.

The Echo needed to be there in order to keep Valantina safe. The Echo was who she was longer than she was a mother. Therefore, the Echo was who she needed to be right now. Letting her mind calm and her heart rate decrease, she let the Echo take over. While it pained her to do it, she forced herself to forget about Katalina for right now, and focus on what she needed to do.

If she was to go against Hawkeye, and possibly other Avengers, she needed a clear head. She knew there was going to be a fight, and she needed to be ready. Not soon enough for her own mind, she made it to Amsterdam. She drove to one of her hideouts there, and parked before getting out and grabbing her things.

She needed to be smart about this, if she just went in, she would fail. So she needed the day to plan. Only one day, and to do that, she needed KIT to help her. As soon as she got inside the small building, it lit up. While it looks unimpressive on the outside, the inside was much larger and had so many new things.

Setting her bag down, Valantina searched through it to find her computer and tablet. She took them over to where there was a larger computer in place. Opening the laptop, Valantina pressed a few buttons and soon, the large computer in the hideout came to life. "Hello again, Madam." KIT greeted.

"Hi, KIT." Valantina said. She never really greeted KIT, but even though she was the Echo, her mind was still out of sorts. "I need more information about the Avengers, their skill sets, who is on it. I need to know exactly where they are, and possibly what they are doing. I also need a way out of wherever it is they are going... and a way in."

"Right away, Madam." KIT replied, both setting to work on getting through a security system. It was really sad just how easy it was to get through their firewalls and security. Although, Valantina probably wouldn't have been able to do it, if KIT hadn't been the one to get through it. KIT was untraceable, so there was no way that they would be able to find where Valantina was.

Even if they did somehow trace her, KIT's defenses were too high, so it would just send them down all sorts of different and extremely unrelated places instead. It was a mix of both Valantina's own mind, and KIT's need to have fun. It was almost scary how human like KIT could be, but that was sort of how Valantina wanted him.

Ever since his first reaction and meeting Katalina, the AI was rude and harsh with the poor girl. It scared Katalina, so Valantina worked on getting KIT to be nicer. In doing so, KIT was more human like, and by being more human like, he gained an attitude and need for fun. While at times it was amusing, sometimes it was infuriating.

Valantina worked all night, and into the early mornings in order to get as much information as possible. By the time she had thought she was done and had everything she needed, she went to sleep. Her dreams were troubled, they always were, but this time they were troubled with thoughts of Katalina.

The poor 11 year old didn't deserve this. To be caught up in something she had nothing to do with. As she closed her eyes, it was then that Valantina realized that one of her greatest fears had come true. That the one and only person she cared for was in danger. Her daughter, was in danger. And it was all Valantina's fault, if she had just been more careful, had looked more thoroughly through her buyers' backgrounds, things would be different. With a heavy sigh, Valantina drifted off into a fitful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"No, no, no." Tony said, his voice sounding unusually panicked. Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton all casted him curious glances. Tony floated around the room, from screen to screen in the Avenger's Tower, typing away.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked. Tony didn't look up from the screen he was currently at when he replied.

"Someone is trying to hack into JARVIS," he stated. He then flipped to a different computer to keep typing before moving to one of the touch screens hanging in the room. The three teammates exchanged slightly worried glances as Tony moved. "And they're getting through." he finished. "Damn it." he swore when his efforts proved useless.

"They're getting through?" Steve asked. "How can someone hack through JARVIS?"

"I don't know." Tony muttered. "Romanoff, I need you and Barton to help me figure out what they're going through. We need to know what kind of information they're drawing out and maybe we can block them."

The two assassins and the billionaire set to work on tracking whoever was hacking into them. They found out very quickly, however, that their actions did nothing to help, as this person must have been very skilled as well. So, while they couldn't track the person's location, they were able to figure out which files they were looking at.

"What did you do to cause someone to search up multiple files on you?" Natasha asked Clint. She didn't get an answer right away, because Clint was focused on how much information this person was able to pull.

"I don't know." Clint answered honestly.

~

When Valantina had woken up, she set to work on getting herself ready. She grabbed the bag she brought and took out the weapons she thought she would need. It didn't take long for Valantina to be all set. Once her suit was on and in place, she was set to go, so she grabbed her in-ear and car keys before leaving her hideaway.

Valantina set herself up in the building across from the building set for the Avengers to arrive. She waited paitently, knowing that she had to be at a distance in order for her to make an escape. As she waited, Valantina tried not to think about Katalina. She didn't need that kind of distraction, not when this would, hopefully, be a quick mission.

Soon enough, KIT reported that he spotted movement around the building. And soon after, he confirmed that it was the Avengers. Raising her rifle, Valantina looked through the scope and waited to see her target. "Here birdy, birdy, birdy." she muttered to herself as she waited for Hawkeye to show up.

It took a while, and a few broken walls, but she was able to get the shot. However, just as she was about to pull the trigger, and just after he had taken out an enemy. He looked up, and made eye contact with her. Valantina felt her heart drop, and a lump form in her throat. Just looking into his eyes had brought back the memories of him as a younger man, barely even 19 when she met him.

It was in that moment that caused the Echo to hesitate. But, then her heart reminded her of Katalina, and how her life was in danger. With gritted teeth, Valantina pulled the trigger, her bullet hitting it's mark. When the target fell to the ground, Valantina shot again, and once more hit her mark.

She pulled back before her position was given away, and took several deep breaths. She had to do it, it was for her daughter. She had no choice but to shoot him, no matter how much she didn't want too.

~

"Barton, what's your status?" Steve asked as he defeated a man.

"On the second floor, made a bit of a mess, but I'll be coming down-" Clint stopped talking just as both Captain America and Black Widow heard a shot pierce the once somewhat quiet area.

"Barton?" Steve asked. In response there was a second shot being fired.

"Clint?" Natasha asked. Still, nothing. The two exchanged a look before bolting to where Clint said he was. When they got up the stairs, both of them were in a state of shock. On the ground of ruble laid Clint Barton. His bow having fallen from his hand, and an obvious bullet wound in his left arm. Steve carefully rolled him over and saw where his other wound was. It hit him in the chest, just barely missing his heart.

Kneeling down, Steve pressed his ear close to Clint's face and was able to hear very faint breathing. "He's alive." he stated to Natasha. Natasha moved over to where Steve was, her face oddly calm, but Steve could see in her eyes she was relieved.

"What happened to him?" She asked.

"Well, he was obviously shot, we need to get him medical attention, quick."

"I'll contact Stark and have him-" Natasha was cut off by a quick shot being fired, the bullet hitting her right in the shoulder. Steve was quick to action and pulled the woman down just as a second shot was fired. "What the hell?" Natasha asked, placing a hand to her wound. There wasn't any more shots being fired, so Steve risked a small peek only to be fired at, the bullet just barely missing his face.

However, the super soldier was able to see the location of the shooter. "They're across from us, in the upper building." he stated. He looked at Natasha and saw her eyeing Clint and her own wound. "Can you still move?" he asked.

"Yeah," Natasha nodded.

"Good, contact Stark and I'll go after them. When you're done, if you can, meet me at the end of the block in case they try to run." Steve said. Natasha nodded and set to work on contacting Fury. Steve got up and was careful to not be seen. Once he was out of the building, he made a beline for the other building.

He wasn't shot at, even though he was now in plain sight, so he figured that they moved. Steve went into the abandoned building and up a flight of stairs, there, he saw someone running down a hallway. "Hey!" Steve called. The person stopped and turned around quickly. It was then that Steve realized that the shooter was a woman.

She glared daggers at him, and instead of running like he thought she would do, she ran towards him at a high speed. Steve lifted his shield to protect himself, but that seemed like that was what the woman was hoping for. As he lifted his shield, the woman slid onto her knees with full force and kicked his feet from under him.

Steve fell to the ground and that was when the woman grabbed his fallen shield and threw it away. Steve heard some sort of static noise, and before he could react, the woman punched his chest, an electric shock emitting from her hand. Steve gritted his teeth in pain, but was able to lift his arms to push her off.

He sat up quickly, and sprung to his feet, barely in time for the woman to launch another attack. She was able to punch him in the face, but Steve grabbed her arm before she could retract. Instead of pulling back, the woman let Steve pull her over, but last minute wrapped her leg around his and both fell.

The woman got up first, and she launched a kick to Steve's face, and he just barely dodged it. He grabbed her foot and twisted it, sending the woman stumbling. She let out an outraged growl, and quickly spun around again to get out of his grip. Steve scrambled to his feet, just as the woman pulled two knives out of no where.

Without his shield, Steve didn't have any other option than hand to hand. "You don't have to do this." Steve said. "You tried to kill my friend, and I want to know why." The woman gave no answer and launched a lightning fast attack, her knife cutting into his arm. Steve barely noticed and tried to plead for the woman to reason with him. "Let's just talk about this, I just want to know why you almost killed my team mate."

The woman paused, her face slightly pale. "Almost?" she asked. Thinking she would now be reasonable, Steve lowered his hands.

"Yes, he's still alive." he nodded.

"No!" the woman growled, attacking Steve with full force, filled with anger and fear. Steve, despite being enhanced, was having trouble holding her back. The woman was ruthless, and while she landed a few cuts on him, Steve was still able to just barely keep her at bay. However, with a swift kick, Steve fell to the ground.

Without wasting time, Valantina left the building and scrambled for the one she shot Hawkeye in. There, she found him and saw that he was leaning against the wall, but his eyes were closed. With a running start, Valantina was about to attack him, and kill him, when she was blocked. With a snarl, Valantina faced off between a protective Black Widow.

Natasha looked determined as she blocked the woman's attack. She was surprised that the shooter would come closer, and even more so surprised that the shooter was a woman. Of course, she had somewhat thought that it may have been the Winter Soldier making another appearance, but it was clear that, that wasn't the case.

With a brief pause and quick assessment of each other's apponent, the two deadly women fought. While Natasha was skilled, she was almost no match for the angry woman before her. The woman was just a bit faster and just a bit stronger. Not to mention the woman seemed almost desperate.

Natasha could see in her eyes just how much she was trying to hide her desperation as she fought. With a grunt, Valantina put Natasha on her ass, and used the handle of her knife to hit Natasha on the head roughly. Natasha got a dazed look on her face and just as her eyes focused, Valantina kicked her, knocking her out.

Turning to Hawkeye, she noticed the rough rise and fall of his chest. His face scrunched and he groaned as his eyes opened. He blinked and as they focused, he looked up to see a seething woman standing before him. "What the-"

"Shut up!" Valantina growled, her fingers gripping her knife tightly. She knelt before him, and Clint was just too injured to do anything. She got near his face, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm gonna kill you." she said, her voice eerily calm.

"Why?" Clint groaned.

"I have too." Clint could see in her eyes that there was something there. Something that somewhat resembled regret. The woman raised her knife and shut her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry." she breathed. Clint swallowed thickly, and just as her hand was coming down, she was knocked away.

Brushing away her surprise, Valantina saw Captain America standing in front of her. Her eyes narrowed and she stood up, and got ready for another fight. However, this time, Steve knew he couldn't give her a fair chance, because she would take full advantage. Valantina attacked first, and her attack was brutal.

Steve tried not to hurt her, but at the same time tried to block her attacks. However, it was becoming clear that the woman wasn't going to back down, she was set on killing Clint, but Steve just couldn't let that happen. In an attempt to block her next strike, Steve accidently smacked her with his shield.

His blow sent the woman flying into the wall, and as she fell she hit her head on a piece of ruble. She groaned, and her eyes got blurry. Valantina tried to sit up, but the pain in her head was too much, and just as her blurry vision registered Captain American kneeling next to her, everything went black.

~

Hearing voices while she slept was not an abnormal occurance for Valantina. However, these were not the usual voices, nor where they saying the usual things they did in her dreams. Slowly, Valantina opened her eyes and surpressed the urge to groan as she realized she was no where familiar.

With a few blinks, Valantina's eyes were adjusted, and she was able to take a look around. It was then that she noticed her hands and feet were bound while she was out. She scanned the room she was in and realized by looking out a window that they were flying. The realization made her heart beat pick up.

She couldn't be flying, she couldn't be leaving Europe. Katalina was in Europe, and if her blackmailer realized she failed her mission... Valantina tensed at the very idea. That couldn't happen, Valantina couldn't let that happen. Her eyes snapped up when she heard a sound and her piercing green eyes met ocean blue.

Steve didn't say anything as he gazed back into the woman's eyes. He felt many different things, as the woman single-handedly taken down all three of them. Had Steve not have returned to Natasha and Clint, the latter would have been dead. "How are you holding up?" Steve found himself asking.

To this, the woman merely raised an eyebrow. "I would be better if I wasn't tied up like this." she quipped. Steve let a flicker of amusement pass through his eyes before he shook his head.

"I'm afraid I can't do that ma'am." Steve remained standing where he was, blocking the woman's view of Clint. He was alive, but he was badly injured. Had the jet not come when it did, then he might have bled out from his wounds. "Am I going to get some answers, now?" Steve asked.

"I don't know, it depends on the questions being asked." the woman shrugged as best as she could. "But I don't guarantee that I'll answer any of them if I'm being honest."

"How can we be sure we can hold you to that?" Natasha asked. Valantina's eyes flicked over to the woman and she scoffed.

"I don't think I want to speak to the so called 'deadliest woman' after I easily, and quite sadly, quickly put you on your ass." Valantina snipped. "The Black Widow just turns out to be nothing but a push over, well, at least for me." she grinned.

Natasha glared at Valantina, but Valantina raised a challenging eyebrow. "I'm not the one tied up."

"I'm not the one with a shot shoulder and wounded ego." Valantina countered quickly. "If I wasn't so set on my mission you wouldn't even be alive."

"Is that a threat?" Steve asked, interjecting into their conversation.

"No," Valantina said. "It's the truth."

"I doubt you would have stood a chance if I wasn't shot." Natasha muttered to herself. "You know nothing about me, and I know nothing about you. However, I know that I can take you down if I have too."

"Hmm," Valantina hummed. She weighed her options of revealing who she was or keeping it a secret. However, the urge to one up the woman got the best of her. "Interesting, the Black Widow standing up to the Echo." Valantina grinned widely when Natasha paled.

"The Echo." she whispered to herself.

"What does that mean? Who is the Echo?" Steve asked.

"The Echo is one of the most highly trained assassins." Natasha began. "The Echo hunts down and kills assassins for a living. They never leave a trace, they never get caught." the red haired woman looked back at Valantina. "The Echo gained their name because that was all people had on them, just echos of information."

"And you're forgetting one thing." Valantina added. "The other reason I gained my name is because you could always hear the echo of my victims screams." a dark sparkle came to her eyes as her amused grin turned more sinister. "And I do love it when cold hearted assassins scream for mercy."

~

The flight to New York was silent for a while, only being broken when Clint let out a pained groan. It caught everyone's attention, and Steve stepped away from blocking Valantina's view to turn. As soon as the woman spotted Clint laying there, she began to thrash violently in her restraints. Her bloodlust and worry coming back full force.

She needed to kill him, she needed Katalina back and safe. "Stop it." Steve ordered. Valantina paused in her movements to give the Captain a harsh glare. "This is exactly why you're being kept restrained." Valantina said nothing, but she stopped struggling to get free.

"What do you want with Barton?" Natasha asked.

"And why would you think I'd tell you?" Valantina replied.

"We'll find out."

"Good luck."

~

Once the jet landed, Clint was transported into medical, and Valantina was taken to the Avenger's Tower. She was put in a 'highly' secured room, and Natasha-after getting treated for her wound, and the bullet removed- along with Steve went in with her. The other's were aware that they found and caught the person behind Clint's attack.

Of course, the rest of the team wanted to question her, but only Steve and Natasha were permitted to do so. Valantina was still restrained, but her feet were free, which wasn't the best idea because Valantina easily knew how to get free, but she chose to stay for kicks.

In her ear, she heard KIT giving her ideas and eats to get out. The AI was scanning through floor plans and better understanding what Valantina needed to do in order to get out. Soon enough, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff came into the room. Valantina raised an eyebrow as they stood in front of her. "You going to let me go now?" she questioned.

"Why were you sent after one of us?" Steve asked, disregarding her question. Valantina leaned back in her chair with a sigh.

"You are wasting your time, Captain, I will tell you nothing." Natasha scoffed at this, causing Valantina to glance at the woman. "Glad I amuse you." She said flatly, her eyes then falling back to Steve. "You might as well let me go because there is nothing you can do to get me to talk."

"We'll see about that." Steve said firmly. "There is always something that makes people talk."

"Good luck finding that in me, Captain." Valantina leaned forward. "I am a trained killer, I hunt down and interrogate other master killers for a living. You think that I will talk because of threats that mean nothing to me? You will have to do better than empty threats."

"Who sent you?" Natasha asked crossing her arms. "The Echo doesn't go after people without being sent."

"What makes you think I will give up my buyer's names?" Valantina scoffed.

"The Echo doesn't care about their buyers, they only care about finishing a mission." Natasha said. "So far, you've failed your mission, and we're not about to let you complete it, not this time."

The red haired woman walked closer to the table as she stared at Valantina. However, the woman didn't falter her gaze, Valantina's green eyes staring right back at her. "You might want to be careful what you say, I have had plenty of offers to go after you Romanoff. You must know that it would only be a matter of time before someone sent an assassin for your head."

Natasha had a feeling that one day someone would send someone after her. She did have a nagging worry in the back of her mind that, that person may be the Echo. However, she had once been targeted by the Winter Soldier. Obviously, she escaped and, now that she was an Avenger, she may have an even bigger price on her head.

"Enough with the threats, we want answers." Steve interrupted. "Why did you go after Barton, and who sent you?"

"I will tell you nothing," Valantina sighed again.

"I guess that means you'll just have to rot in a cell then," Steve said, deciding to use a different tactic. He got a small reaction from her, as the assassin raised an eyebrow. "From what I hear you've got a lot to answer for, being the Echo. You've killed many people, so now that you're caught, you'll be spending the rest of your life in a cell."

Valantina was growing slightly irritated with the conversation. She also didn't like the idea of being in a cell while her blackmailer has her daughter. If she was to fail the mission, then Katalina would lose her life. She was just a little girl, Valantina saved her from one horror, only to be the cause of facing another.

That wouldn't do, Valantina needed to get out and get back to Europe. If she can't kill Barton, then she'll just have to make it look as though she did. Then, she may be able to get her daughter back, as well as take down her blackmailer.

KIT had been able to find her a clear path, however, he wanted her that she's be going directly into the line of fire. Valantina moved slowly and subtly, the Avenger's having been fools for keeping her hands in front of her.

"Not that I haven't enjoyed this conversation, it's just that I haven't enjoyed this conversation." She smirked. "So, if you'll excuse me..."

Before the super soldier and assassin could react, Valantina was free. She stood, shoving the table at the pair and licking the door open. "Turn left Madame, down the hall and you'll be in a living space." KIT said.

Valantina went in the direction that KIT had told her. She could hear Rogers and Romanoff behind her, but as she got in the living space, she saw Tony Stark and a woman she didn't know.

"Stop her!" Rogers shouted, causing the woman to draw out a gun. Valantina dove behind the couch, moving towards the hall.

"She should run out of bullets in there seconds, that will be your window." KIT said.

"Right, three seconds." Valantina muttered. Just as the AI said, the woman ran out of bullets, and Valantina ran out from behind the couch and into more hallways.

"Hit your cuffs on the metal part of the hall and they should break."

"Really? That send stupid." Valantina replied.

"If you want to be free, then listen to me." KIT huffed. Valantina shrugged her shoulders and began hitting her cuffs on the wall.

Much to her surprise, the cuffs released her, and she grinned at the feeling of relief. " I don't know who you are, but I'm gonna have to ask you to stand down."

Valantina turned and saw Iron Man hovering above her. Valantina smirked, pulling out one of her hidden guns in her boot, fitting at Tony. Much to the billionaire's surprise, the bullets when through, easily hitting his arm.

He winced at the pain, giving Valantina time to run. As she did, however, she ran into a tall man. She fell, and glared up at him, not in the mood for the curious look on his face.

"Why are you running?" He asked. "Have you done something wrong?"

"I'm being held against my will, I need to get out of here." Valantina said, her calm exterior behind to crack as it looked like she wasn't going to escape after all. She turned when she saw the other Avenger's arrive behind her. "Please, you've got to let me go, they'll kill her if you don't."

For the first time, Valantina allowed herself to look weak in the presence of others, her shoulders slumping as she looked down in defeat. "Please." She whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

With Valantina on better watch and in an even more secure room, with constant surveillance, the team were talking about her. "Something's not right here." Natasha said, shaking her head. "The Echo never begs, never gives up. The Echo is the most relentless assassin and killer out there."

"Who and what is the Echo anyway?" Tony asked.

"She's an assassin, she hunts down other assassins for a living and she was trained in a worse place than mine." Natasha said, folding her arms over her chest. "No one knows who the Echo is, and no one knows how to find them really. It was only now that I found out the Echo was even real, and that the Echo was a woman."

"So you're telling me that there are assassins out there better than you?" Tony asked, a small teasing tone in his voice. However, the woman was in no mood for a joke.

"Guys, she was sent to kill Clint, and she nearly did." Steve interrupted. "She can easily put most of us, if not all of us on our backs. She's not enhanced as far as we know, we need answers as to who sent her and why." he then turned to Natasha. "If the Echo doesn't beg, or show emotions, then clearly something is bothering her. While I may not have an eye for spotting fake emotions, I do have one at spotting real ones, and the look on her eyes showed true fear and desperation."

The team was silent, thinking over what to do, but slowly, they all came to an agreement.

~

"We want answers, and you better be honest with us." Steve stated as soon as the entire team entered the room, minus Clint. "No games, no escapes, no fights."

Valantina gave everyone a considering look before letting out a deep sigh, letting her head drop down. "I didn't have a choice." she began. "If I did, I never would have went after Clint. It was a hard choice for me to make, but there were factors involved that none of you could understand."

"You know him?" Natasha asked, realizing that there was no way that the woman was able to know his name without looking him up, or knowing him. Of course the woman went for the latter.

"Yes," Valantina nodded. "I helped him escape the carnival that he was trapped in, I stayed with him for a few weeks to help him get on his feet. After that I was gone." Valantina lifted her head, and all could see that there was no lie in her eyes, and that she was telling the truth. "I don't want to kill him, I consider him a somewhat friend, and I don't hurt or kill those who don't deserve it. That's why I hunt assassins, that's why I kill those who are deemed evil. It's not for the money, I don't care about that."

"What do you care about?" Tony asked.

"Life." Valantina replied. It wasn't the answer that was expected, and it was written over everyone's face. "That's why I had to kill Clint, it wasn't because I wanted too, it wasn't because I had a choice, it was to..." Valantina trailed off, unsure if she should tell them one of her most sacred secrets.

"You have a family." A voice said softly, and slightly hoarse from the other end of the room. Everyone looked and saw Clint Barton standing and looking a little worse for wear, but he wasn't too bad. Valantina's face drained of color, but she finally nodded.

"Yes, I have a little girl." this got everyone surprised. "She's only 11, she has nothing to do with my life as the Echo, she should not have been involved." Valantina clenched her fists in anger. "My buyer has her, my kroshka, and I need to get her back. The only way to get her back is if I killed you." she directed her words to Clint. "But I can't, it is too hard for me, I saw you when you were just barely a man. Struggling to get your life together after the carnival."

Clint was confused for a moment, but then everything was clicking together. Valantina. "I know you." again, Valantina nodded. "Va-"

"Don't!" Valantina protested. "Do not say that name, it is nothing but bad memories. I go by Valarie Mikhail now, no one is to ever hear my old name spoken."

"Right." Clint nodded, going further into the room. "So, your buyer is blackmailing you?" he asked.

"Yes,"

"How?" Steve asked, cutting into the conversation.

"Simple, I fail to kill Barton, they kill Katalina." Valantina spat bitterly. "I kill a friend and I save my daughter, I save my friend and kill my daughter." she said. She turned her eyes to Steve. "If you had a child, who would you save first?"

Everyone was silent, all knowing that they would probably do the same thing she was. "Is there no way out?" Steve finally asked.

"You don't think I've tried?" Valantina retorted. "I haven't really had time to run an extensive search, I was planning on doing so when I completed the mission."

"What if we helped you?" Bruce Banner asked. All eyes turned to him and he cleared his throat. "I mean, if we were able to help you trace the person who did this to you, will you stop your mission?"

Valantina was tempted to agree, but there was so much risk. If her blackmailer found out that she didn't kill Barton, and that she was working with them... Katalina may not have that kind of time. "I don't know..." Valantina sighed heavily. "If they find out I failed, then I'd lose her."

"How would they know?" 

"It's such a big risk." Valantina sighed. "She's only 11... if something happened to her I-" with a deep and troubled sigh, Valantina nodded. "Okay, alright I'll work with you. I won't try anything funny or hurt anyone. I just want my daughter back."

~

With the agreement formed, Valantina was taken to a lab where there were many computers set up. She worked with Tony and Bruce to track the person who sent her her mission. Usually her buyers would send her a mission through her phone, but that didn't happen. "How far did you get on your search?" Bruce asked.

"Not very far, I just ran a general scan, but nothing really came up." Valantina responded. She went to one of the computers, and began running a search. However, the woman grew frustrated with the thing. "Can't this thing search any faster?" she muttered to herself.

"Uh, that's as fast as an AI gets." Tony replied. "JARVIS is the best system out there."

"JARVIS?" Valantina asked, looking up in confusion. 

"JARVIS, say hello." Tony said, an amused smirk on his face.

"Hello Ms. Mikhail." a voice came through. "I do apologize if I am not helping your search." 

"JARVIS is the security and first defense around here." Tony began to explain. At this Valantina hid a smirk.

"So that was the system I hacked through." KIT mused in her ear. At that, Valantina smiled in amusement, but listened to Tony brag about his creation.

"Well, that all seems interesting, however, I think I've already out done you Mr. Stark." Valantina smirked. 

"And how have you done that?" Tony asked, quirking an eyebrow in a challenge.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll have to introduce you to KIT." Valantina went to the bag she had brought with her, and took out a laptop and pad. She typed in a complicated pass code and was grinning while she did so. The two scientists watched her in curiosity and soon enough she turned back to them.

"Who the hell is KIT?" Tony asked. He wanted to know how Valantina some how had a more advanced program. 

"I'm glad you asked." Valantina smirked. "Say hello KIT."

"Good afternoon, Madam." a voice came through. "I would say I am pleased to meet you Mr. Stark, however since I've hacked into your system without a problem, I must say I am unimpressed with your work."

"You hacked into JARVIS?" Tony asked in surprise.

"That would be correct." KIT replied.

"JARVIS." Tony said, knowing his AI had a few choice words for their hacker. 

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. KIT." JARVIS greeted. 

"I believe we met briefly when you tried to combat me as I, quite easily, went through your programs." KIT responded.

"Yes, well, I do not appreciate being hacked."

"How else was I supposed to do what Ms. Mikhail asks? I was simply doing what I was programmed to do. There is no reason to be so hurt by it. It happens to us all. Do you think that all security systems enjoy getting hacked?" JARVIS and everyone else was quiet for a moment, stunned at the AI's response. 

"See why I have you beat, Stark?" Valantina grinned. "KIT, be a dear and look up the IP address of the person who sent me my mission."

"Of course." within mere moments, KIT had many different things pulled up. 

"JARVIS, match KIT's search." Tony said, refusing to believe he was beat. JARVIS did as he was told, but it was proven that he was just a few seconds slower than KIT. Tony, being the brat that he is was a little pissed off that some Russian assassin was able to create something better than him.

"This is just sad, Tony." Bruce commented, a small, amused, smile on his lips as he watched the scene unfold.

"It really is, KIT and I found it sad that we broke through your security without a problem." Valantina quipped. Tony glared at the brunette before turning around and continuing his search. While he was at it, he also began searching for information on Valantina. With the news that her name was Valarie Mikhail, he figured something must come up. He also searched more on the Echo to see what he could find.

And boy, did Tony find a lot.

~

It didn't take long between KIT and JARVIS to find out who was blackmailing Valantina. Once they got a hit, Tony called the rest of the team in. "Who is it?" Steve asked right away. 

"Iliano Serkova." Valantina hissed with disgust. "I should have known it would be him." It should have been obvious it was him. Anton Kergov had said that it was 'The King' that had sent people out to go after her daughter. Why she hadn't pieced it together before was a mystery.

"You know him?" Steve asked.

"I have worked for him before, he calls himself the King of Russia. He's an underground crime boss, one of the biggest Russia has seen in years."

"I know that name." Natasha nodded. The team looked at her and she merely shrugged in return. "I read about him and he even asked for my help, but when I refused he said he'd go to the best." she then looked at Valantina, and the assassin looked back briefly with interest but then let her eyes wander back to Steve.

"Do we know why?"

"No," Tony replied. "Not yet at least." he added.

"We haven't gotten that far yet, but we do know where he is." Bruce agreed.

"If we go after him." Valantina interrupted Steve before he could speak. "Serkova is mine, I will make him scream for mercy for what he has done, and then I will kill him." she spat, her hands clenching at her side. "I will make him pay for taking my little girl from me."

"We need him alive." Steve said, which caused the brunette to glare at him harshly. "We need answers, and to get them we need him alive, after that..." he paused, the faintest smirk on his face. "He's all yours."

With a calculated look, Valantina walked closer to Steve. "And if we do not get answers from him? What then?" she asked. "Or if we do get answers, and after I get my daughter back, what then?" The room was silent, all of them somewhat knowing the answer. "You cannot honestly think I would be stupid enough to believe you will let me walk free after what I have done, after what I tried to do."

Her eyes darted for Clint and the man shuffled under her gaze. She then looked back at the Captain. He stared at her for a while, considering his words carefully. "You're right, we can't let you go after what you tried to do." Steve nodded. "But we're going too, because so far you've held up your end of the deal."

Valantina smirked at this, her eyes scanning Steve. She had to admit, he was a very handsome man, and if she weren't under these conditions, she may have tried something with him. However, sometimes she couldn't resist a little flirtation or seduction every once in a while. "If we weren't on opposite sides, I may learn to like you." she said, looked up at him through her lashes. "Such a pity." she pouted, biting her lip softly before turning back around and going over to a computer.

Steve clenched his jaw for a moment, unsure of what to say or do after that. Natasha couldn't help the small smirk that came to her face at the interaction. Shaking it off, Steve ordered everyone to suit up, it was time to pay this Iliano Serkova a visit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sighov Building, Russia**

Iliano Serkova was a tall, brooding man. In order for him to have earned the name King of Russia, he had to do a lot of killing, double crossing, and all sorts of dirty deals. Now, he only worked for one group, and for the most part Iliano was allowed to do whatever he wanted. What he wanted was to have the world's best female assassin in his pocket.

He wanted the Echo to be his, that way he wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming after him. No one wanted to find out the Echo had been sent after them, because the Echo always hit their target, they never missed, never failed. However, the Echo doesn't work for anyone, the Echo was always their own boss, only taking job offers for profit.

So, Iliano had to do thorough research and digging to find what the Echo cherished. Everyone had a soft spot for something, and while the Echo may be a cold blooded assassin, they did have a weakness. That weakness came in the form of an 11 year old girl. Now, Iliano was able to get the girl and enlist the Echo for a while.

While he's at it, he will have also been able to kill off an Avenger, if not more if the Echo was threatened. The King had faith in the Echo, that they could easily defeat the Avengers if they planned it right. Now, all he needed to do was wait. He had to wait for the assassin to show up to claim their daughter, only to find that she wasn't in the building.

He had her daughter, of course he did, but he wasn't a fool. He knew the Echo would try something funny, and try to get their daughter and kill him in the process. That may end up happening, the Echo may kill him, but they'll never find their daughter if they succeed. Iliano had their sent away, but he had live footage of the girl, so that the Echo could see that she was alive and well.

Iliano was sitting comfortably in his office when he got an alert. "Mr. Serkova, we have incoming jet." one of his guards reported. With a heavy sigh, Iliano replied back.

"Take it down." he ordered.

"Yes, sir." the guard responded. It looks like another idiot has decided to try and take him out. Well, guess it's time to show them why he is called the King.

~

On the Quinjet, everyone was pretty much silent. The team was ready for anything, and it was strange to have the Echo on their team. She was a complete wild card, no one expected her to even exist. So, to have her with them was a bit strange. She was silent as well, checking over her weapons and making sure everything was sharp.

Some of the members found themselves watched how she moved, and were slightly disturbed by how many knives she actually had. Once she had everything checked, she sat back with a sigh, knowing that there was still time to kill before the drop. "Is that all your weapons?" Clint asked, trying to start a conversation.

Valantina looked up, a crooked smile on her face. Instead of a verbal answer, she reached into her boot and flipped out her two Colt Vest Pocket hand guns. She handled them effortlessly, and she showed them that they were loaded by ejecting a bullet, and popping out the magazine. She checked the clip and smiled before picking up the two fallen bullets and placing them back in their place.

She loaded the magazine again and placed them back in her boot. She then flicked out her two knives that were in there and she flipped them in her hand. With a smirk she flipped them back in her boots and looked back up. "What do you think?" she asked.

Clint smirked in return while the others looked faintly amused. "You know, I've always wondered what happened to you after you left." Clint said softly.

Valantina looked back up at him, offering a small, apologetic, shrug. "It's what seemed best at the time." She replied.

"Why did you leave? Last I heard you were supposed to be on lookout for any of those bastards from the carnival."

"I was, well... That's what you were told." Valantina said. "I wasn't even supposed to be there, Clint. I can barely stay in one spot, I have to be on the move or I'll go mad. So, one day I told the others that I was leaving."

"They knew?" Clint asked. "They knew and didn't think to tell me?"

"I told them not too, I didn't..." Valantina trailed off with a heavy sigh. "I didn't want you to try and change my mind. You were young, Clint and I may have had a small soft spot for you then. But I knew I had to leave or else I'd be of no use to you."

Clint was quiet, as was everyone else. Then Valantina abruptly stood with an unreasonable look on her face and walked to the front of the jet.

"We're here, and we've got in coming hostiles." She stated, just as JARVIS reported the same.

Tony piloted the jet out of the way of in coming fire. "J, take the wheel." He ordered as everyone got ready.

"Mikhail." Steve said, causing the woman to turn around. "We need Serkova alive, everyone else... Give them hell."

Valantina smirked and nodded. "Tell me if you find Katalina," she said to all of them. "She won't know you, so she'll hesitate to trust you, but if you find her before I do... Tell her KIT's got her back, she'll know what it means."

With everything settled, JARVIS landed the jet and everyone moved out but Banner. Valantina had moved with the team, not used to having to follow orders any more. Nor was she used to working with a team, but she followed what everyone else did, which was the follow whatever the Captain said.

"Mikhail, I need you and Romanoff to secure that guard tower." Steve ordered, Valantina nodded and took off towards the building, Natasha not far from her. When the two assassins got to the building they silently crept inside to begin their work. KIT navigated Valantina through the halls, and told her when there was incoming men.

With ease she took them out silently, as Natasha split from her to go down another hall. It was sad just how easy it was for Valantina to dispose of the guards, and she didn't even have to use a single gun, using her knives to slit throats, cut limbs, and stab flesh. She was ruthless, silent, and deadly.

"Madam, I'm sensing that Ms. Romanoff is in a bit of trouble." KIT informed as Valantina killed the last guard in her section of the tower. Valantina sighed and began walking back to where she and Natasha had split off. 

"Which way?" she asked.

"To your right, Madam." KIT replied. Valantina stalked to where the AI told her Natasha was and saw that the woman was handling herself well, but the guards were regrouping and about to swarm her. With a running start, Valantina attacked the guard attempting to pin the woman down. The brunette wrapped her body around the man and twisted to bring him to the floor before she used a knife to slice his throat.

She then stood and blocked another man aiming a gun at Natasha. "It's not nice to attack girls." she grunted as she disarmed him and used his own gun to shoot him.

"Thanks," Natasha said to Valantina. The brunette only gave the red head a small nod in return as the two deadly women fought side by side. Within moments the two were the last ones standing. "Rogers, we've got the place secure." Natasha informed.

"That was quick."

"When you've got good back up, things tend to go smoother." Valantina quipped at Tony's remark. 

"Good, get down here and help Barton and I take down the other towers," Steve ordered. The two ran out of the tower, but Valantina stopped short and grabbed Natasha's arm. "Stark, I want you to fly around and see if there is any security you need to breech."

"Right, on it." Tony muttered as he continued to fly around.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked.

"Why run and waste energy when we can just drive there?" Valantina asked, gesturing to one of the cars that had a large gun on it. "You drive, I'll shoot." Valantina smirked.

"Agreed." Natasha nodded as the two moved to get to their places. Valantina got to where the gun was and Natasha started the car, and drove to where Steve and Clint were. Valantina began firing at the enemy. Clint and Steve paused to let the women through as Valantina took out the majority of the foot soldiers.

However, the enemy fired back using a tank. Natasha was able to jump from the car in time, but Valantina was flown out of it, and landed in the snow. Clint was the first to rush to her aid, but she stood and brushed him off. "I'm alright." she panted as she touched her chest. "KIT, health update." she ordered.

"Nothing major but a bit of bruising, Madam." KIT replied in her ear.

"How can KIT communicate with you when you aren't around a computer?" Steve asked as he jogged over.

Valantina tapped her ear. "Near invisible in-ear, I've had him in my ear since my mission on Barton began, KIT's always been here." she replied. "How else did you think I easily escaped you guys when you first asked questions? KIT was telling me escape routes the entire time, that's how I got out."

Just as Steve was about to say something, Valantina attacked him, knocking him to the ground. Steve pushed her off and was about to fight her when she held up a hand and pulled a bullet from her back. "What is that?" Clint asked.

"A bullet," Valantina replied. "Upgrade your armor and you can do that." she then turned to Steve. "Never say I didn't do anything for you, despite advanced armor that shit hurts." she groaned before running off to dispatch some more guards.

"She's definitely something." Clint muttered. Steve nodded in agreement before they rejoined the fight. Soon enough there were no more ground guards, and Tony had lowered the security on the building. As one, the Avengers and Valantina all went through the building and cleared it.

Valantina took this time to inform KIT about doing a sweep on the place, looking for Ilinao Serkova. As KIT did that, Valantina remained with the Avengers, helping them take down the base. "Madam, I've located Mr. Serkova." 

"Tell me where he is." Valantina whispered as she continued to move with the team. What they didn't know was that Valantina was going to leave them the minute she got Serkova. There was no way in hell she was letting them have him. Serkova was her's, and she was going to kill him. Of course, she would make him talk, and she knew that the 'King' would not enjoy the audience he was about to have with 'his' subject.

~

As soon as Steve knocked out the last guard, he turned around to address the team. "Alright, Stark, do a perimeter scan and make sure we've got a way out when we're done here. Barton I want you somewhere high, keep watch and take out anyone you see. Romanoff, you and me we keep moving while Mikhail you-" Steve stopped talking as soon as he realized she was missing. 

"Where'd she go?" Clint asked. "She was just here."

"Damn it," Steve muttered. "She must have located Serkova." he said. "Let's move, we've got a slight change in plans." he ordered. Everyone did as he said, and he and Natasha went further into the building to look for Serkova, and hoped they got him before Valantina did.

"What's so bad about her finding him anyway?" Tony asked.

"If she finds him, she'll question him and kill him." Steve said. "We need to know what he knows, the weapons his men had were too advanced for some 'King of Russia'."

Luckily, it didn't take long for Valantina to find Serkova, but it turns out he was waiting for her in his office. He chuckled as she entered, but he stopped when she pulled a gun on him. "Where is she?" Valantina demanded. Iliano's amused face turned stern as he watched her.

"She's not here." he replied calmly. Valantina's eyes hardened as she advanced towards him.

"What do you mean she is here?" she asked. "Of course she is, tell me where she is."

"You think just because you have a gun pointed at me that I will tell you everything I know?" Iliano laughed humorlessly. "Here I thought the Echo was better than that, turns out all it takes is a little girl to make the best assassin go mad." he taunted. "It is pity, really, to see such an accomplished killer be brought down so easily."

Valantina held back her tears of pure anger and fear as she stalked over to him. "Tell me where she is you bastard, or I'll kill you right now."

"If you kill me, then you will never find her." Iliano threatened. "I die and so does her location." Valantina let out a frustrated growl as her emotions were on over drive. She placed her gun back into its holster before pulling out a knife.

"Then I'll just have to make you talk." she growled before she lurched forward to grab his arm, her knife cutting into his hand to prove her point. Iliano let out a howl, but then gritted his teeth.

"You little bitch." he groaned. "I will tell you nothing." he snarled. Valantina glared harshly in return before she dug the knife in deeper. Valantina had time alone with Iliano, and she wasn't supervised as she would be if she let the Avengers take him. So, she ran off the minute KIT found him in his office.

She questioned him, and he would answer, slightly fearing he will end up losing his hands. Now he understood why the Echo was so good, it was because she was brutal with her questioning, and she never left them alive when she was done. So, he gave her answers to questions she did not ask. While the information was helpful, she needed to know where Katalina was.

So, the questions continued and soon enough the Avangers came into the office. "Let him go, Mikhail." Steve ordered. Valantina glared at the man, her mind passed reasoning at the moment.

"This bastard is mine, I need answers and your way wasn't going to do it." she growled at him, pointing the bloody knife at them. "I want to know where Katalina is, I want to know where my daughter is." she turned back to Iliano. "Where is she, you bastard?"

Steve, Natasha, and Clint exchanged glances. Steve was the first to step forward, but Valantina was hyper aware of her surroundings, and she moved behind Iliano. Steve paused and held his hands up. "We're not saying he doesn't deserve the treatment he's getting, but we need him alive." Steve tried to reason.

"You don't understand." Valantina said through gritted teeth. "This man is the only one who knows where she is, and he won't tell me." her eyes were red rimmed despite the fact that she was trying to hold back her tears. "This is the only way I can get answers."

"Let us help you, let us take him back-"

"No!" Valantina shouted. "If we take him back then everyone will be all over him and I won't get to have the answers I want." she took a shaky breath. "Katalina isn't here, she never was." Valantina said, her tone desperate. "I need answers."

"And we'll get them for you," Steve assured. "Just let him go." While Steve had Valantina distracted, Clint and Natasha both pulled Iliano away from her, causing Valantina to let out an outraged shriek. Her mind was fragile at the moment, and she was desperate to find her daughter.

She went to attack the two, but Steve grabbed her before she could. Valantina tried to get free from Steve's grasp and ended up cutting the Captain with her knife. He let go in surprise and Valantina quickly rounded on him. Both her deadly assassin side and her protective mother side worked together for a moment and all she saw was red.

She attacked Steve and the Super Soldier had trouble fighting her back. Finally, instead of blocking her, Roger's realized he had to actually fight her to get her to stop. So, he placed his shield down and tried to fight her. However, despite his enhancements, he just wasn't that good of a hand to hand fighter when his apponent was heavily trained since they were a child.

Clint watched Iliano while Natasha went in to help Steve fight the distraught woman. "Valarie stop, this isn't you." Steve tried to reason again. "We're trying to help you." However, Valantina was way passed reason and just went in for the kill. She wouldn't stop, and it became clear, so with a nod from Natasha, she used her shock gloves and Clint fired a shock arrow at the deadly woman.

Valantina dropped the knife and began to convulse, stepping away from Steve before dropping to the ground. Natasha pulled the arrow from her and looked up at the Captain. "She shouldn't have come with us." she said.

Steve sighed heavily. "I didn't think she'd do something like this." he admitted. "I was wrong to assume, but the woman just wants her daughter back." he glanced down at Valantina and frowned. "We should take her back to base, we'll question him when we get there as well." Steve nodded to Iliano as he watched the scene unfold.

The Russian had no idea what he had unleashed in the woman, but it honestly terrified him. It was suspected that the Echo was unstable, considering what they did for a living, but to see that... Iliano was lucky to even be alive right now, had it not been for the Avenger's he wouldn't have been. 

Steve sighed again and looked back up at his teammates. "Alright, you two take him back to the jet, I'll take Ryker." Natasha and Clint nodded before roughly getting Iliano out of there.

Steve looked down at the unconscious woman. He understood where here rage came from, respected it, even. However, he also knew that what she was doing wasn't going to solve anything.

With another heavy sigh, Steve picked up his shield and placed it on his back. He then bent down and picked up Valantina bridal style. He jogged lightly to catch up to the others.

When he did, he saw them all waiting for him. Thor and Tony frowned seeing the woman unconscious. "What happened to her?" Tony asked.

"It's best if we get her on the jet first." Steve replied walking forward and into the jet.

Bruce was waiting inside with Iliano muzzled and restrained. "What's going on, Cap?" He asked.

"Our mission is done, we need to go." Was all Steve said.

"I thought we were here to help her?" Bruce asked in confusion. "Wasn't her daughter supposed to be here?"

"Well she wasn't," Steve said, strapping Valantina into a seat. The rest of the team filed in and Tony had JARVIS pilot them out. "Mikhail's daughter wasn't here, it was a diversion set up by him." Steve nodded to Iliano.

"Why?" Thor questioned. "Why cause all this trouble?"

"I don't know, but once we land we'll find out." Steve replied, giving Iliano a hard look, full of determination.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Valantina awoke, the jet was almost set to land. She was strapped into a seat and she was confused for a moment as to what happened. "This seems oddly familiar," Valantina said dryly. "Like seeing me tied up or something, Captain?"

Steve flushed a bit, while everyone else smirked at her comment. "That was only for a safety precaution." Steve replied. He walked over and unstrapped her. "Do you remember anything that happened?"

Valantina groaned slightly as she stretched. "I remember fighting with you guys, and then..." Valantina trailed off.

"And then?" Steve prompted.

"And then I remember feeling nothing but rage and fear." Valantina looked away as she had flashbacks to how she let her emotions take full control. She saw flashes of torturing Iliano to attacking Steve in such a brutal manner that she cringed. "I'm sorry." she muttered. "I shouldn't have come, I'm too much of a liability to be out with you all if Katalina is involved."

"What is she talking about, Cap?" Tony asked in curiosity. 

"I attacked Captain Rogers back in Serkova's office." Valantina said before Steve could. "I lost control over my emotions when it was revealed that Katalina was never at the compound. I questioned Serkova to give me answers, but he wouldn't give them to me. I was about to remove something from him when Captain Rogers, Clint, and Widow came into the office." she wouldn't look at anyone as she spoke. "When they tried to persuade me to let Serkova go, I declined, so they took him away from my grasp, in doing so I lost control again and attacked Captain Rogers. I suppose they knocked me out somehow in order to subdue me."

Everyone was quiet at Valantina's blunt explanation of what happened. "Well, we may not have completed the mission how we wanted too." Steve finally said, breaking the silence. "But we do have a link on finding whoever has Katalina." 

Valantina still refused to look up, but she was relieved that at least Steve was willing to help get her daughter back. "Serkova will be questioned by you, I have gotten nothing with my methods." Valantina said quietly.

"By the way, from what I see," Tony began. "Those questioning methods are quite brutal." at that, Valantina cracked a smile.

"When the usual and more easy methods do not work, then one must evolve in their questioning. People are so willing to talk when they are about to lose all their fingers." Valantina replied as she finally looked up. "Not the most pretty sight, I'll admit, but it makes them talk." she shrugged.

~

When the jet landed, everyone filed out. Iliano was taken to a secure room while Valantina followed everyone to a conference type room. Inside the building, Valantina could feel eyes on her as they moved around the tower. She also felt someone staring her down, so she turned her to to see a slightly familiar face.

A brunette woman walked up to the team and sighed at Steve's condition. While the man didn't seem to be in much pain, his wounds showed otherwise. "Do I even want to know what you've been up too?" she asked.

"Only if you want a really long explanation." Steve replied, slight humor in his voice.

"I've got time." the woman replied back as she lightly crossed her arms. "Whose she?" the woman nodded to Valantina.

"She's apart of that long story." Steve replied. Steve turned and gave Valantina a look, to which the assassin frowned at, but then nodded. Everyone sat down, but Valantina remained standing with her arms crossed. 

"So, what's this long story, then?" the woman, Maria Hill questioned. 

"Well, we found out who had targeted Clint." Steve began.

"And who was targeting him?" Maria questioned.

"She was." Tony cut off Steve, pointing at Valantina. The Russian merely glared at the billionaire in return. Maria gave Valantina a calculated look before turning back to Steve.

"Is she the woman who nearly escaped?" she asked.

"Yes, but we got her under control." Steve nodded. "She was sent by a man named Iliano Serkova, to take out Barton. However, we were able to question her and we figured out that she isn't the real threat. She was blackmailed into going after Barton."

"And what was she blackmailed with?" Maria asked. "Money or something?"

"My daughter." Valantina cut in, tired of the woman's attitude towards the situation. "Iliano Serkova took my daughter away from me. If I did not complete the mission then my daughter would pay the price. I chose my daughter over a friend."

Maria was quiet for a moment, but then nodded. "So, you're on our side?" she asked.

"For now, at least until I get Katalina back." Valantina replied. "Once I have my daughter I'm gone, you won't be able to find me again." 

"You really think we're just going to let you go?" Maria asked, her tone in mock surprise. "After knowing what you tried to do? I don't think so."

"I can kill all of you if not most of you right now." Valantina growled. "I choose not too because I still need help, and because so far I have been treated fairly." The brunette's eyes narrowed in a cold glare towards the agent. "I kill assassins for a living Agent Hill. What makes you think I cannot easily kill you as well?"

Maria tensed at the almost threat, her training beginning to kick in. "Did you threaten me?" she asked.

"No." Valantina stated calmly. "I merely told you the truth, if I wanted you dead, then you would be. But I am merciful, and I do not think that the rest of this team will take kindling to your death." she shrugged, but she was tense as she waited for Maria's next move.

Everyone else was watching the tense interaction with curiosity, but at the same time wariness. They know that Valantina could easily kill Maria, simply because if they had trouble fighting the woman off. If super-powered team couldn't take down one highly trained regular woman, then what chance does a former SHIELD agent have?

Without a word, Maria relied on her training and she pulled a gun on the Russian. To that, Valantina merely smirked. "Thank you for showing me how I can beat you." Valantina quipped. "By pulling weapon, that means that I now know how you are going to fight me, so I can more easily take you down."

"Hill, put the gun down." Steve said, not wanting to see his friend and acquaintance fight. "She's not our enemy right now." However, Maria didn't listen and even advanced towards Valantina. Her advancement only amused the Russian, her once calm features lighting up in her amusement.

"You American's are so quick to pull guns and make choices without thinking them through." Valantina scolded. "While you actions are amusing to me, if you take another step, I will be forced to engage." she warned. Once more, Maria didn't listen, thinking she could take down Valantina. Maria figured she was all talk, as were most of the people she'd gone up against, so she figured she'd be fine.

However, as she stepped closer, Valantina knocked the gun out of her hand and kicked her in the chest. To her credit, Maria didn't go down, and resorted into hand to hand fighting. The Avenger's weren't sure if they should interfere, afraid that something even worse might happen if they did. The fight didn't take long, as when it was over, Valantina had Hill on the ground with her legs wrapped around the agent's neck.

"It is always such a pity when people do not listen to me." Valantina sighed before letting the woman go and standing up. To add insult to injury, Valantina picked up Maria's fallen gun, removed the magazine and ejected the round in the camber before setting the gun down at the agent's side.

She moved across the room without a word and stood in a corner, crossing her arms. Maria caught her breath and picked up her gun. She reloaded it and placed it back in it's holster before standing. She glared at the woman in the corner, but she seemed to settle. "Okay, so what happens now?" she asked the room.

"We question Serkova." Steve replied. "We get the answers we need and we get m  
Mikhail her daughter back." Valantina casted Steve a look, to which Steve gave a small nod too. Valantina then gave the Super Soldier a rarity. Valantina gave him a small, but genuine, smile.

~

Valantina sat in the conference room with Thor and Bruce while Tony was in the lab, Clint was taking a phone call, and Steve and Natasha were questioning Serkova. The man had a bandage around his hand where Valantina had cut him and a sour look on his face. He kept casting the camera glances, almost as if he knew that the Echo was watching.

"Why does he look nervous?" Bruce asked as the three of them watched the live feed. 

"Because he knows I'm watching." Valantina replied. "While he may be a bad man, he isn't stupid. He knows that I'll kill him, that's why he owes his life to you all. If it went my way, he'd be dead already."

Bruce and Thor exchanged glances before Thor chuckled lightly. "For a small woman, you are very vicious." Valantina glanced at the Asguardian and smirked.

"When you were trained as ruthless as I was, then you pick up a thing or two."

"Where exactly were you trained?" Bruce asked softly. "We know Natasha was trained in the Red Room, but were you trained in the same place?"

"No, I was trained some place far worse than the Red Room." Valantina began. "I was trained in a place called the KIT Program. They took young boys and girls and trained them to be the most ruthless and most cunning killers. Deaths were a frequent occurance in the Program. Those who died were quickly forgotten. Those who survived were tested until they broke. If you don't break you survive, to survive you kill, once you kill you cannot go back."

Valantina looked and sounded as if she wasn't even fully aware of what she was saying. She had a distant look in her eye as she spoke about the KIT Program. "The KIT Program?" Bruce asked. "Isn't KIT the name of your Artificial Intelligence?"

However, Valantina didn't answer, as she focused on the screen. Steve and Natasha were asking him questions, and she was curious about the somewhat pale looks on their faces. She turned up the volume and clenched her fists as she heard Iliano speaking. "You think because you have the Echo with you that I'll talk? The Echo is worse than I am. She's a lier and a killer, do you really think she is on your side?"

"What makes you ask that?" Steve retorted.

"Because she's worked for me, and she always delivers." the man laughed. "What makes you think you can trust a killer like her? One who goes mad as soon as you take something from her, did she not attack you Captain?"

"That snake." Valantina muttered. 

"I've been a buyer of her's for years, I know what she's capable of." Iliano continued. "The people above me like to use her as well. She's one of their favorite clients to work with, to have the best female assassin in their pocket? As long as we have her daughter, then she belongs to us. What makes you think that she still won't complete her mission that I gave her? You must know that the option is still on the table."

"What makes you think she'll carry it out?" Natasha asked.

"Simple, she fails the mission, her daughter is dead." Iliano shrugged as best he could. "How are you so sure that I did not signal the people who have her daughter that Clint Barton is still alive?"

"Bastard!" Valantina snarled, slamming her fist down on the table roughly. Once more, her fear and anger came to the surface. 

Bruce and Thor exchanged glad, unsure of how to react to her. While she seemed to be reasonable and range at the moment, that could work possibly change quickly.

"Who's above you?" Steve asked. Iliano merely began chuckling at the question, causing Steve to harden his gaze. "Think about it Captain, who else would control a man such as me? Who else would have the power to hack into the Echo's security system, a system of which is capable of hacking into your own?"

"Hydra." Steve stated harshly.

"Bingo." the Russian man nodded. "So really, while I may know where the girl is, who do you think you should really be questioning?" he asked. "While I may work for HYDRA, the Echo is their favorite female assassin to use. I am sure you are familiar with the Winter Soldier." Steve tensed at the mention of his best friend. "Well, how do you think he was able to get into the places he did when there were high security buildings? Do you really think that, that man could do that kind of work?"

Valantina growled and turned away from the screen. "Is it true?" Bruce asked. Valantina turned to look at him. "You work for HYDRA? You're one of their spies?"

The scientist's eyes held both surprised and betrayal as he gazed at her. She glanced at the blonde God and saw a slightly disappointed frown on his face as he crossed his arms.

"No." She stated. "I work from them on occasion, but never have I fully joined them." she explained. "While I may have worked with the Winter Soldier before, I haven't done that in a long time. While I may be a killer, I am not an idiot." She paused as bitter laugh escaped her. "I knew if I kept working with them that they'd try to find something about me to hold over my head. That is why I decided to stop working for a while. The job before this one was minor and was for little pay."

Thor and Bruce didn't question her further, the three of them focused on the screen. Iliano kept dodging questions, and only tried to anger Steve and Natasha. Finally, after a few hours of questioning, Steve and Natasha left the room and went to the conference room.

When they got there, Valantina was absolutely seething. Her body was tense, her hands in tight fists, and her teeth gritted as she stared at the screen. If looks could kill, Iliano would be six feet under.


	7. Chapter 7

Unlike the last time she was seething, it only took a minute or two for Valantina to calm down. Once she did, she knew she would be questioned.

"You work for HYDRA?" Steve asked. The soldier saw no point in beating around the bush, he needed answers, and he was going to get them.

"No," Valantina began. "I was never an actual active member. I only took a few jobs here and there. I knew what they were, and I knew I had to be careful. So I was never really a part of them."

"Why didn't you say anything about it before?" Natasha asked. "That kind of information could have been useful."

"I don't know," Valantina answered. "I didn't think of it at the time. Besides, would you have honestly helped me if the first thing I told you was that I worked with HYDRA?"

The Avenger's were quiet for a moment. In their silence, Valantina got her answer. "Did you work with the Winter Soldier?"

Valantina looked back at Steve and she was able to see many conflicting emotions in his eyes. Despite how he hid behind a deceptively calm face, Valantina could easily tell that the Captain was troubled.

"Yes," the brunette sighed. "I helped with anything to do with technology, and he completed the mission. There were also times where I would fight at his side." Valantina looked away from Steve as she remembered what she did.

Those were not her most proud moments. During those times, Valantina didn't have Katalina. So, Valantina was at her most ruthless and vicious. Those were times when she was at her most dangerous.

Although, one may say she was even more dangerous now. Because unlike during those times, Valantina had something to protect, and she knew that she would do anything to get her back.

~

Valantina was going to spend the night at the tower. The Avenger's wanted to both keep an eye on her, and to keep her as their current aly. While he was beginning to trust her, Steve also had Iliano's words in his head.

He wasn't actually sure that Valantina was very stable at the moment. And, while she had only attacked him out of rage, Steve was worried that she may complete her original mission.

It may seem unlikely, but it was possible. Valantina may just kill Clint, break Iliano out, just to get her daughter. However, despite what the man said, Valantina seemed at ease with Clint.

She was guarded around everyone else, but Clint. So, that made Steve hope that Valantina wouldn't consider doing what Iliano said.

Steve glanced at the brunette and archer as they spoke. Both had smiles on their faces, and Steve actually heard Valantina let out a small laugh.

~

Valantina couldn't sleep. She had too much on her mind, and she was unfamiliar with her current location. Her training prevented her from being at ease, as she kept thinking of finding ways out of the tower, as well as into it.

She could never sleep when everything was so quiet. It also didn't help that she wasn't sure what was supposed to happen in the morning. Valantina didn't know what to expect.

So much of her secrets had already been brought to light. Something she had feared would happen, she wasn't proud of the things she did, but it was all she knew. Valantina had been conditioned at a young age to be hard, to turn off a switch that allowed her to know the difference between right and wrong.

All she was trained to see was a way out, a set of rules that would ensure her survival. It had been drilled into her head that no matter what, Valantina must survive. If she had to kill, she killed, if she had to run, she ran. If she had to fight, she fought.

Now, she found it difficult to let go of the things she did in the past. Valantina's body count was far greater than she'd care to admit. Besides, things were different now, back then Valantina only looked out for her own ass.

Now the woman had a little girl to look after. Valantina had someone besides herself to protect. Katalina had nothing to do with her life as the Echo. While Valantina had found Katalina through her line of work, that didn't mean that the girl was involved.

Sighing, Valantina sat up in bed, the blanket tossed off softly. The assassin let her feet dangle over the edge of the bed, trying to ease her heavily troubled mind. Honestly, the woman didn't understand how any of this could have happened.

She also didn't really know why. Sure, now it was clear that HYDRA wanted her as their pocket killer. However, why would the they if they had someone like the Winter Soldier on their side?

While she knew that the man could be difficult to control at times, he was usually their main killer. Shaking her head softly, Valantina stood up and grabbed her tablet from the side table.

If she was going to be awake, then she may as well be productive. Valantina wasn't sure if she was allowed to leave her room, but in that moment, she didn't really care.

She was clad in a flannel shirt and a pair of running shorts. She didn't venture far in the tower, not very interested in trying to explore the place. She sat near one of the windows over looking the busy night life of New York.

While they were quite high up, Valantina could still hear the faint sounds of car horns and the farther of sounds of sirens. The tower was quiet, everyone either asleep or just in their separate rooms.

The brunette sighed softly before she turned the tablet on. "You should be asleep, Madame." KIT'S voice said softly.

"I would if I could, but I can't, so here I am." Valantina muttered in response.

"My, someone is irritable." KIT replied flatly. Valantina gave the tablet a blank look, causing KIT to make the AI equivalent to a sigh. "What can I do to help?"

"I don't know." Valantina said after a short pause. In turn, KIT was also quiet. He'd never heard Valantina sound so unsure, so... Hopeless. Valantina always had a fire in her voice, a passion and certainty.

Now, she sounded afraid and unsure. However, while he was limited to feeling anything at all, KIT was worried too. While he was an extremely superior AI, he felt useless too his mistress and her daughter.

"Now, don't you worry, Madame, everything will sort itself out." KIT did his best to comfort her. "Ms. Katalina is alright, and she will be back with us soon."

Valantina's thoughts went back to something Iliano had said. "How are you so sure that I did not signal the people who have her daughter that Clint Barton is still alive?

While get main reaction had been anger, now she felt complete fear. If Katalina were to die because of her, Valantina would fall apart. The woman had vowed to give the child a better life than her own.

Had vowed to protect her from whatever she could. But she failed, Katalina was gone, and now Valantina didn't even know if the girl was even still alive. While her heart held out hope, hey mind knew that it was a possibility.

The assassin held back tears as she spoke, her voice uneven. "I'm scared, KIT." She admitted. "I don't know if I can win this time. This isn't like the other missions, it was only ever my life on the line, it always had been. But this time... It's Katalina's life I'm dealing with."

KIT was silent, unsure of how to reply. Behind her, hiding in the shadows was Thor. While the god had little knowledge of the situation, from what he had seen, Thor know that this woman had the true heat of a warrior. In some way, Valantina reminded him of Sif.

While the Asguardian remained hidden in the shadows, Valantina continued. "If she were to die... That's on me, I was supposed to protect her, but all I've done is fail her. I was supposed to keep her safe, I promised to keep her safe!"

The last of her emotional restraint broke, causing her to cut herself off. Valantina hadn't let herself truly feel any emotions regarding the situation, as she knew she needed to keep a level head. But now that she actually had some time to breathe, she couldn't handle it.

Walking out of the shadows, Thor made his way over to her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing Valantina to flinch violently away from the touch, turning quickly to see the god. Her eyes were red rimmed, and a few stray tears fell down her face as she looked at him. Thor offered her a small smile before he gestured for her to retire to her sitting position.

Valantina was weary of the god, but she was in no condition to argue. So she sat back down, Thor sitting next to her. The large man looked slightly silly sitting with his legs crossed like children would do when they were in a circle. Both were quiet, neither one knowing what to say at first. Sparing the woman a glance, Thor smiled slightly before speaking.

"When I first met you, I was surprised that someone was trying to escape, and that you got as far as you did." Valantina looked over at him, catching his gaze. "There is so much more to you than you let on. It's alright to be afraid, I've been afraid before, and I'm one of the greatest warriors of my realm."

Valantina hummed at his gentle boasting, but didn't say much else. The pair lapsed into silence, but Valantina broke it. "I've never had a reason to be scared," she admitted quietly. "I'm not afraid to die, but things have changed. I have someone who needs me, someone I need to protect. For the longest time, it's only been my life on the line, but now it's her's."

"We'll do what we can to get her back," Thor said. Valantina turned her head and gave him a small smile. "You should rest, we have a busy day tomorrow."

Valantina nodded, standing up. Thor stood as well and watched as the assassin began walking away. However, before she got too far, she turned around. "Thank you, Thor." She said.

In return, the Asguardian smiled widely, giving her a small nod. Returning to her room, Valantina sighed softly. He was right, it wouldn't do her any good if she didn't get some sleep. While she didn't know what was to happen, Valantina knew that she had made the right choice to stay with them.

If she did this on her own, she wouldn't get this far, this easily. Besides, while she may have failed her original mission, Valantina still had someone she could call a friend.

~

In the morning, Valantina was surprised that the Avenger's had a group breakfast type thing. When she came out of her room, making her way to what she assumed was the kitchen and dining room, she found them all making their own meal, but still together.

Valantina's suddenly felt off being there. While she wasn't much of a team player, Valantina didn't feel left out as she had fought with them. However, this seemed like a more intimate thing.

Valantina wasn't a part of the team, and this made her feel like it. Just as she was thinking about walking back to her room, Steve noticed her.

"Morning," he said to her. Valantina glanced at him, before aborting her plan to walk out.

"Morning." She muttered, walking further into the room. She opted to sit at one of the chairs, than get herself some breakfast.

The others too notice in her, but didn't say anything for a while. However, when he was done making how did, Clint sat next to her. "Sleep well?" He asked, a teasing smile on his lips.

Valantina gave him a small one in return. "Do you want the truth, or the answer you want to hear?" She asked back.

"The truth," he could, thinking she was joking.

"Not really," she said softly. "It's nothing really against being here, I've never been able to sleep easily." Clint's face fell slightly, her words drawing the attention of the others. Valantina noticed all their stares and smiled. "You don't do my kind of work and sleep like a kitten at night."

The group was silent, and Valantina felt like she toned the mood. "Not the best thing to talk about in the morning, I suppose." She muttered. "I'll be in my room, enjoy breakfast I guess."

She stood up, and began making her way back to get to her room. However, she stopped when she heard her name called. " Hey, Mikhail," she turned her head, to see Steve with a small smile. "You need food too, can't go on a mission and have your stomach giving away our position."

Valantina sighed, but then smirked. "Fair enough."

~

After breakfast, the team got ready. They didn't have much to go on, so Steve and Natasha went back to question Iliano while the rest of the team tried to come up with a plan.

"You know him, what's his play?" Clint asked Valantina. The woman sighed and glanced at the live video feed of the interrogation.

"I don't know, he's normally not one for kidnapping, usually he's interested in taking out his competition. But, he's not one to cross, he's smart , he does what he needs to in order to survive." Valantina's eyes went to everyone in the room. "So, while he may give information, it won't help us."

"So, he'll just say anything to keep himself alive." Bruce said.

"Yes," Valantina nodded. "According to him, he is the only one who knows the location of Katalina."

"Oh, boy." Tony rolled his eyes. "So, what? We've basically got nothing, because he's not gonna talk."

At this, Valantina got an idea. She couldn't help the small smirk on her face, as she knew that this would be fairly easy. "No, he won't, but I know someone who will."

"Who?" Clint asked. "You said it yourself, he's the only one who knows her location."

"That may be true, but Iliano can't help but boast about his line of work to a competitor of his. I've been there for their interactions, and Serkova can't keep his mouth shut around the man, so he must know something."

"Alright, where is he?" Tony asked.

"That is the tricky part." Valantina sighed. "He is locked up in a high security Russian prison for being guilty of war crimes against Russian diplomats."

"This just gets better and better." Tony muttered. "So, what? We're just gonna sneak in there and break him out just to talk with him?"

"No, it is actually a lot more simple than that." Valantina replied.

"I thought you said it was tricky?" Bruce asked.

"For you," Valantina sighed. "It is easy for me, because I was the one to put him away, I shot him in the shoulder, and let the authorities arrest him."

"I thought you only went for assassin's," Clint raised an eyebrow.

"I do, but business gets slow." The brunette shrugged.

"So, how are we going to do this, then?" Bruce asked.

"Well, I'll need two of you to come with me directly inside." Valantina began. "Three in the perimeter, and one in the jet to help KIT break into their security systems."

"Why do you need people on the perimeter?" Thor asked.

"Because while I may be clear showing my face in the prison, as soon as I step out of that jet, they might try something."

"They?" Bruce asked.

"Either the people who took Katalina, the Russian government, or any enemies I have." Valantina answered. The four gave her bewildered looks, to which she shrugged too. "I'm a wanted woman."

"Well, let's tell Cap and Tash about our idea, no sense in wasting time." Clint said before he left the room.

Valantina anxiously bit her lip, unsure if this idea was going to work. "Don't worry," Valantina's gaze flickered over to where Doctor Banner stood. "We'll get her back." He said firmly.

She sent him a, small, grateful smile, her eyes going to the live feed where Steve and Natasha were just leaving the room Iliano was in. Hopefully this works, because Valantina want sir how much longer she could wait until she broke.

Her daughter was out there, scarred and alone with terrible people. Who knows where she is and what was happening to her. In the back of the assassin's mind, there was a small part of her that wasn't sure that she's ever find her. And that thought terrified her.


End file.
